Speed demon Matt makes a flying start to his racing career

Kings Langley bike racer Matt Fitzgerald enjoyed a stunning debut when he took home a trophy for second in class at Snetterton.

Racing in the Bemsee Thunderbike Extreme Novice Championship, AA patrolman Matt soon got to grips with his self-built machine and put in two cracking performances on the Saturday to take home the spoils.

Sadly, Sunday did not go so well when the Carspek/Direct Door Solutions backed Kawasaki decided to spit Matt off as he exited one of the faster corners in race one.

Speaking in the pits afterwards, Matt was quick to blame himself, saying: “I got on the throttle too quickly, and, with the bike cranked over like it was, there was simply more power than grip so that was that.”

Thankfully, damage to the bike was negligible and Matt returned to the grid for race four. A leaking radiator meant a non-finish, although the mood among the team was decidedly upbeat.

“It was our first ever race meeting so it was always going to be a steep learning curve, but to be on the pace from the outset was amazing,” said Matt. “Our plan was always to learn as much as we could and to have fun and we certainly did that.”

The team are in action again at Oulton Park this month, and details can be found at www.ratchet-racing.co.uk

If you would like to support Ratchet Racing in any way, Matt can be contacted on 07772 663223.